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Twins to honor Killebrew throughout season

Twins to honor Killebrew throughout season

An esteemed panel of former Twins players share their fond memories of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew on the day of his passing

By Rhett Bollinger
/
MLB.com |

SEATTLE -- The Twins immediately honored Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew by adding a commemorative patch bearing No. 3 on the right sleeve of their jerseys against the Mariners on Tuesday.

The Twins will wear that patch on their uniforms for the rest of the season as a tribute to Killebrew, who died on Tuesday at 74 after a battle with esophageal cancer. No. 3 was Killebrew's number and was formally retired by the Twins in 1975.

"It's fitting," Michael Cuddyer said. "If we could all wear the No. 3 that would be fitting too, but obviously that can't happen. But wearing the patch to remember him is really the least we could do."

Additionally, the club will hang Killebrew's No. 3 jersey in the dugout the rest of the season, and will don their throwback 1961 jerseys at all home games this year.

"We figured it would be [a] good tribute to pay to him for the rest of the season," said Cuddyer.

Twins president Dave St. Peter also said there will be new additions at Target Field that will be ready once the team returns home on Monday to host the Mariners.

"His signature, which is probably the cleanest, most classy signature in all of baseball, will adorn the outfield wall at Target field as a lasting symbol of the class that he brought every time he signed an autograph," St. Peter said at a press conference at Target Field on Tuesday. "In addition to that we will fly a No. 3 flag immediately adjacent to the Twins Territory flag just on the other side of Target Plaza."

On Tuesday, the Target Field grounds crew placed a black-and-white photo of Killebrew, believed to have been taken at Metropolitan Stadium in the '60s, under home plate, where it will remain for the rest of the season.

Killebrew has already been honored with a bronze statue outside Target Field that depicts his famous home run swing from the 1965 All-Star Game, when he tied the game up with a two-run shot in front of his home crowd at Metropolitan Stadium.

Funeral arrangements for Killebrew are pending, but St. Peter added that he anticipates that the most likely date for public services will be Thursday, May 26, which is the Twins' next off-day.